$55,000 Aston Martin heading to Australia

[Rev28K]

I'd rather Toyota start selling their IQ here (I wonder is Aston Australia are trying to get in first before Toyota Australia do?).

And I'd like someone to produce Gordan Murray's T25 Eco car.

55k for the IQ, has anyone tried pricing Mitsubishi's iCar?

[Jimmyd]

Aston Martins way to get around manufacturers emissions requirements - crappy idea when started, even worse now it is reality.



Oh how the mighty Tickford wings have fallen........

[HLC]

they should have put db9 headlights on it. would have looked marginally better at least.

[Danny]

It's well known what an advocater for hot hatches I am. But an Echo with a body kit that is slower than a corolla, and costs $55k is a cataclysmic fail, Aston will be laughed at to no end for this.. At least make it quick...

Oh how this will go down in history as yet another blight on the Aston Name... Maybe this is a smart move by AM, because this will make the much unloved Lagonda look good...

[buggo]

How devo would you be if you just got a design job at Aston, you think to yourself awesome I get to help design the next DB, then you get lugged with doing up a Toyota. Yeah cheers boss :(

[Peuty]

I'm pretty sure Aston Martin doesn't think it's a very good idea either though guys. If they didn't have to, I'm sure they wouldn't.

What would you have all preferred, a Vantage with an Ecoboost motor in it?

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by Peuty

I'm pretty sure Aston Martin doesn't think it's a very good idea either though guys. If they didn't have to, I'm sure they wouldn't.

What would you have all preferred, a Vantage with an Ecoboost motor in it?

Diesel hothatch or Ecoboost hot hatch. Not a boring little city car. At least a hot hatch has performance pedigree.

[Rev28K]

Seeing as I've just seen 2 Rapides (4 door sedans) in 3 days I'll forgive them this mis-step.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Peuty

I'm pretty sure Aston Martin doesn't think it's a very good idea either though guys. If they didn't have to, I'm sure they wouldn't.

What would you have all preferred, a Vantage with an Ecoboost motor in it?

Least the body would still be an Aston... Porsche are doing a hybrid 911...

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by Danny

Least the body would still be an Aston... Porsche are doing a hybrid 911...

The KERS hybrid? That I can get on board with, but it's not like they have to ever do a true electric hybrid, they have Volkswagen to take care of that for them.

[Rev28K]

hmmm. And the $80,000 Ferrari (Fiat 500)

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...315-1bv6x.html

(by the way an original FIAT 500 sold for $31.5k and a Ferrari 400i went for $12.5k at Shannons auction today)

[|Nate]

I thought this was a joke on Top Gear awhile ago, but with the thread being shown, noh my god, they were serious.... |:

[Brazen]

I love it, kind of like how people who have luxury yachts also have luxury tenders to run to shore in. I can see this working in cities like monaco where you leave your DB9 in the garage and take the Cygnet to work or the shops..

The IQ is a very good base as it has won a fair few awards. The changes to Aston Martin version are quite extensive and I think its works pretty good as a luxurious bespoke city car. Not every luxury car buyer wants a million horsepower, but they still may want a city car for traffic and parking why should they settle for a Smart or a Mini if they have the money?

[csv8]

Aston Martin has vigorously defended its new Cygnet, its cheapest model ever that's based on a Toyota.

Aston Martin chief executive Ulrich Bez has lashed out at detractors of his company's forthcoming city car, the Cygnet, rejecting claims the controversial move to build a car based on Toyota's tiny iQ car would "destroy" the brand.

The Cygnet is set to go on sale in Australia in early 2012, when it is expected to sell for roughly four times the price of the donor Toyota car, with a price tag of about $55,000.

Drive's recent story about the Cygnet attracted 103 responses from readers, with just 15 responding positively to Aston Martin's plan.

Advertisement: Story continues below
Comments such as "Nice way to destroy a brand" and "Whatever little credibility Aston Martin had left has just gone out the window" were slammed as ill-informed by Dr Bez.

"Did you ask the people who make the comments whether they are Aston Martin owners?" Dr Bez asks. "Because I need to ask my customers, and these are the people who are supporting us.

"People today don't ask what sort of processor is in an iPhone. They don't ask where it is built. It is built in China. They don't care. Who cares that a Bentley Continental GT is based on a Volkswagen Phaeton? Nobody cares.

"People talk about destroying the brand. Ten years ago when I came here as a German to lead an English company, people asked, 'How can this happen?' [But] we are in better shape than ever, that's a fact.

"This negativity is fine. We want to create exclusivity, and that means I exclude people. If they don't like it they can go and buy a Fiat 500."

He also rejected suggestions the Cygnet was conceived purely to help Aston Martin lower its emissions average across its range to meet strict new European targets.

"I don't need the Cygnet to make my fleet [average] go down," he says. "We have reduced our fleet [emissions] average in the past three years by 27 per cent, we are meeting our European and American requirements for small manufacturers. We have different targets to large manufacturers.

"Of course it will give us a better fleet (average). And I can tell you that most of the people who buy the One-77 [Aston's most expensive, exclusive car], a 7.5-litre car with 750 horsepower, buy a Cygnet. So it can't be that this Cygnet destroys the brand."

Dr Bez says the Cygnet has yet to be officially confirmed to arrive in Australia despite previous comments by an Aston Martin spokesman.

Dr Bez told Drive no decision had yet been made on the tiny car's future outside the European market where it will be launched in May, though he admitted the Cygnet was likely to reach Australia.

"If there is a market in Australia, I'm pretty sure we'll bring it to Australia," he says. "But we need to need to learn if in Melbourne, Sydney and some of the other bigger places, there is a market for this.

"We have just started production and first we are going to fill the European side of this. We have both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive, so we can go anywhere."

[In Focus]

You vill buy it.